Rams rookie has advice for Ravens

STOCKTON - The Ravens might be wise not to all-out blitz Colin Kaepernick when they face the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

Bob Highfill

STOCKTON - The Ravens might be wise not to all-out blitz Colin Kaepernick when they face the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

Edison graduate Trumaine Johnson, who completed his rookie season with the St. Louis Rams, said Kaepernick's mobility and arm strength make him wholly different than his predecessor, Alex Smith, who was routinely sacked by Baltimore's blitzing defense on Thanks-giving Day in 2011, the teams' most recent meeting.

"He's mobile enough to get away from the blitz and he can pass down the field," said Johnson, a defensive back for the Rams, who had 31 tackles, including 29 solo, and two interceptions this season. "If anything, I would tell the (defensive backs) on the Ravens to stay on their man."

On Friday, Johnson took part in the grand opening festivities of his high school alma mater's renovated Taggart Gymnasium. He signed autographs and posed for pictures in the lobby.

"I am very proud," said Johnson's cousin Dominique Banks, a former basketball standout at St. Mary's High and Washington, who attended the festivities. "He's worked hard. He's had a long journey and he's worked hard every bit of the way. He deserves to be where he is right now."

Johnson, 23, will spend time in Stockton and rejoin the Rams in April to prepare for the 2013 season. Johnson was pleased with the new gym and adjoining locker rooms and weight room.

"It's new and improved. The kids deserve it," Johnson said. "It's about time. I used to go here and (the gym) from the outside looked like a movie theater."

Johnson's team played a huge role in the 49ers' fate this season. Smith sustained a concussion late in the second quarter against the Rams in Week 10 at San Francisco. Kaepernick engineered a comeback, though the game ended in a 24-24 tie. 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh then moved Kaepernick into the starting role. In Week 13, Kaepernick suffered his first loss as a starter at the hands of the Rams, 16-13 in overtime at St. Louis.

Though Smith had the highest completion percentage in the league at the time he was injured, Kaepernick has added a dynamic element to the 49ers' offense and is a big reason why San Francisco is heading to its first Super Bowl in 18 years. Johnson offered some insight into the Rams' strategy that worked well against the second-year pro in Week 13.

"We tried to get in Kaepernick's head by switching up the defense and disguising our coverages," he said. "So, I think that helped a lot. He's mobile enough to get away from the blitz."